Mechanism for constructing concrete pipe



Feb. 28, 1933. A. w. SCHULTZ MECHANISM FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE PIPE Filed May 17. 1930 329 Hil Patented Feb.- 28, 1933 'mupw. scnnm iz onwn'mnnoo ow 1 "j I iron consrnncrinaooncnmn 2 m:

Ap licationfiled m '17,;

My ainvention relates "to improvements in" producing cement or concretepipe, and the object of my improvementsis to supply mechanism therefor .adaptedydurihg the process '5 ofv shaping .av hollows tile or pipe section, to differentially consolidate, and strengthen on'e I part 'of.the section, such as a bell-end of" a' pipe section, and to perform said functions in a certain relation and succession fautomati Anobject ofsaid improvements isto also a provide effective means for vibrating the supports for the bell-end of a moldcasing and the latter evenly, rapidly and withnshort' 15 travel agitation, whereby the eoncretecon tents of the bell-end of the mold casing before the formingof the main'body of thetileare j alone agitatedina manner necessaryfor consolidating the diverse components: of such '20 concrete to consolidate the bell-end ofa tile to strengthen it against all stresses of use and emplacement T r Y Another object of 'my improvements is to combine with the vibrator means for lifting 25. it to, and'from its operating iposition,xand' other means for actuating the vibrator, whereby both devices} may be operated by valve-controlled connections to a source of pneumatic pressure, andina determined suc a0. cession, automatically.

Another object of my improvements is to include in the train of vibrating'elements, ;a plurality of spring-supported tappets mounted forradial adj ustmentsrelative to a center '35. of, the meansjsupporting the tappets,pwhereby the machine may be adjusted forgvibratory action on tile-oasingor pellets and tiles of difieringdia-metersm All-of these objects have been successfully attained inreduction' to practice, by the-mechanisms which are hereinafter described and claimed,- and which are'illustrated inrthe accompanying drawing, in=- which;Fig. 1 .isa' front elevation. of my manhine, with-parts 4 in section or broken away, and Fig. 2 is a top s rearranged in various particulars without u'e-q, parting from. thespiritand scope of 'my gi n 13:30}?semi in-353,226;

plan {of the vibrating ,table or f plate with tappets adjustably mounted thereon; Fig.3 is an enlarged sectionalview of the vibrator and associated elements in 'etail, with-parts in elevation: or brokenaway. 1 I g "B 1 *My'nventionis not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts herein j shownand de'scribed, nor to'the variousf'details thereof, as the same maybe modified .or

vention, one practical embodiment of which has rbeenqherein illustrated and described 'withoutattempting to show all of the various forms and modifications in which my inven tionimig'htbeembodied areciprocable shaft 15, upon whose upper end I is secured a "belt-carrying pulley 16 driven' by mechanism not detailed herein." The wheel 16-is splinedon saidsshaft non rotatably but to permit thereciprocatorymovements of the shaft'ther'ethrough. Side-rodswll have their 1 ,lower ends, stepped fir'edl-yyin outwardly dil 'r'ected apertured lugs 9 on saperturedbear-z" ing terminations of anupwardly-ledge d cir-r cular or annular topiplaten' 6 concentric with the shaft 15, said bearing terminationsbeing slidably mounted on the fixed side-rods A cross-beam 7 has-a medial. apertured bear-5 7 ing 18fixed on the shaft '15 above the platen The upper ends of the outer side-rods-ll are slidably seated in apertured ears 12 on the s outer Tterminations" of'the top cross-beam Sheavsare; rotatably mounted in the top 20f 90 the frame 1 in front at opposite sides of the 7 wheel 16, and reeved thereupon are the depending cables Which are connected to the end parts of the cross-beam 7, and whereby the shaft 15 is lifted or lowered by mechanism not shown. Included in one of the frame sup ports in front is a rotary table 19 having a plurality of apertured seats for bottom sup porting rings for an annularbottom pallet 44, upon which the lower end 47 of the bellend mold casing 46 is removably mounted, concentric with the shaft 15. a

The annular top platen or pallet 6 receives concrete materials from an inclined spout or chute 14 as supplied by an endless conveyer not shown, these materials dropping-into the interior of the mold casing 46 at the proper times. A former-head 48 of cylindrical shape and fixed on ,thelower termination of the shaft 15 may move into or outof the mold casing 46 as the shaft is alternately lowered or lifted, and the former-head carries removable troweling. members 49 of a well-known type. r q

Spaced'below the annular pallet 45, and

concentric withthe shaft 15 above is a circular plate 37 having a bottom central convex boss 38 for apurpose to be described supportedfor limitedfree tilting on the. center v of the discoidal top member of a pneumatic vibrator 30, the latter resting upon a circular table 29 terminating the upper part of a plunger-stem28 which moves into a cylinder 20 supported upon the floor of the pit 23. The vibrator may be of any desired def scription suitable for pneumatic actuation, wherein compressed air introduced into its passages sets up a short travel quick vibration: which is communicated'to the plate 37 by way of its boss 38.. The vibrator has'a discharge tube 32to theatmosphere, and its interior passages communicate with asupply pipe 31 containing a valve-chamber 33 with a valve/having an outer operating arm 35,

the-pipehaving thereabove a connection 34 with a supply of air under pressurev The cylinder 20 contains an imperforate piston on the stem 28, and at top andbottomports communicating respectively with pipes 21 and 22 to supply and exhaust air-alter nately fromopposite ends of the cylinder, the pipes including a valve-chamber 24having an operating outer arm 27, and a supply connection 26 with said source of compressed air. one of the side-rods 11 intermediatethe opervating arms 27 and 35, to act as an engaging tripping member for thearm 27.

- The circular plate 37 has radial rows of holes 43 to receive'the lower ends of removable pins or tappets 42, the pins or tappets having near their lower ends annular flanges toseat them upon the plate. Near said rows of holes are other holes to receive. boltsi39 whose lower ends traverse alsoialined holes- 'arm of the lower valvechamber '3 An adjustable sleeve 10 ismounted on in the annularly flanged top of the vibrator 30, secured by nuts 41, and coiled compression springs 40 are mounted on the bolts between said nuts and said annular top to steady the plate 37. The upper ends of the tappets 42 contact with the under face of the pallet 44 at e ual distances apart and from the center of t e plate 37. When a pallet 44 of larger diameter is used upon which to mount a larger mold casing 46, the tappets may be seated in holes 43 of the plate 37 farther from its center, adjustably.

The mold casing 46 is shown in Fig. 1 seated clampingly between the upper platen 6 and the lower pallet 44, with the shaft 15 lowered to placethe former-head 48 in its lowermost position inthe mold casing concentrically, and the shaft being put into .rotation, concrete materials are dumped from the trough 14 upon the platen 6 and to drop into the mold casing bell end 47, wherethe former-head forms an interior wall and the interspace' fills with the concrete material.

-The shaft 15 is then placed in rotation, so

that the former-head with its trowels 49 shape-and trowel the concrete in the bell end 47 At this moment mechanism not. shown draws upwardly the cables connected to the cross-head member 7 moving it and the shaft 15 upwardly as the shaft is still rotating.

During this momentary 'trowelin g of the bell end of the tile whilelthe right-hand side rod 11 is lowered to depress the operating 3, the chamber is open allowing compresed air to pass through the pipe 21 and thepassages of the vibrator 30, causing a very rapid mechanical vibration if it, which is communicated to the plate 37 byway of its depending spheric central boss 38, and byway of the tappets 42 to the pallet 44 to jar the contents of the bell end of the mold casing,causing the materials tosegregate into a state where the lower part of the bell end of the casing receives the finer cement settlings.

The cement content becomes more compact and harder when dried, so that in the bell end of the formed tile, it strengthens the part most likely to be broken by handling or transportation. As the shaft then ascends while rotating to shape the body of the tile cylindrically above its bell end, the side rod 11 is drawn up releasing the valve arm 35, so that the stretched spring 36 connected to its opposite part reacts causing the closing of 24 has during this operation been held in depression by engagement with the end part of the cross-beam 18, as the latter lifts with the, shaft,the arm is rocked by draft of a reacting spring in like manner to theother,-reversing the air current, so that the plunger in the cylinder 20 is driven reversely, lowering the vibrator 30 together with the superimposed plate 37 and its tappets 42, to clear the pallet 44, whereupon the rotatable table 19 may be rotated to displace the mold casing,

and formed tile therein to a place where it may be removed from the table, and permitting another mold casingfonthe table to be rotated therewith into place. The actuations of the two-valve chambers are thus made aupets seated removably around the plate to at times vibratingly engage and vibrate the pallet, a vibrator below and adapted to centr ally engage the plate, resilient means posi t-omatic, permitting operation of the vibrator 30 at the right time,and the raising and the lowering of the vibrator'before and afterits' intermediate actuation;

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isz' p a y a 1.. Inapparatus of the character described, apallet, tappets contactingwith outer parts of the pallet therearound,aplate having circumferentially equidistant radial rams of sockets seating said tappets 'removably and for radially adjustably'seating thereof, a vibrator centrally and resiliently supporting said plate to steady the plate while agitating, l V

it,and a device adapted to'jshift the said devices into and out of operating relatio-niwith the pallet.

2. v In apparatus of the character described, a pallet, a plate spaced beneath said pallet, tappets removably mounted on and around said plate abutting the under face of the pal let concentrically, a vibrator below and centrally supporting said plate, resilient connections between said vibrator and "plate therearound to steady the plate, a pneumatically actuated elevator supporting said evibrator to lift and lower it, valve-controlled means for automatically charging and ex hausting said elevator, valve-controlled means for automatically supplying'and exhausting a fluid under pressure to and from i said vibrator, and intermediate automatically coacting meansfor alternating the operat-ions of said valve-controlled means.

3. In apparatus of the character described,

a pallet, a plate below said pallet with a cenl tral depending boss of 'convexshape, tappets mounted on said plate for impinging upon the pallet to "ibrate it, the plate having a plurality of radially disposedapertures in which the tappets are seated for removable adjustments therein onthe plate, means for vibrating the plate by contact only with its central boss, and means for shifting said de vices into andout of tamping action on the pallet.

- 4.1 In apparatus of the character described, i I

a pallet, a plate spaced below the pa1let,tap-' 

